Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in allergic rhinitis (AR) and their correlation with the severity of the disease. 
Methods A total of 167 AR patients admitted to Baoding Children′s Hospital of Hebei Province were selected as the AR group. According to the severity of the disease, they were divided into mild group (n=61) and moderate to severe group (n=106). According to the type of allergen, they were divided into pollen group, mold group and dust mite group. In addition, 63 healthy volunteers undergoing physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group. The levels of serum IgE and IL-1β, TGF- β 1 and VCAM-1 level were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The relationship between baseline data, the levels of serum IgE, IL-1β,TGF-β1 and VCAM-1 and severity of AR was analyzed bylogistic regression analysis. 
Results The levels of serum IgE, IL-1β, TGF-β1 and VCAM-1 were higher in AR group than in control group (P＜0.05), higher in pollen group than in mold and dust mite groups (P＜0.05), and higher in moderate to severe group than in mild group (P＜0.05). The proportion of pollen allergens in moderate to severe group was higher than that in mild group (P＜0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that serum IgE (OR=1.011, 95%CI: 1.006-1.017), IL-1β (OR=1.035, 95%CI: 1.002-1.069), TGF-β1 (OR=1.010, 95%CI: 1.006-1.015), VCAM-1 (OR=1.654, 95%CI: 1.267-2.159) and pollen allergen (OR=1.322, 95%CI: 1.021-1.899) were risk factors for moderate to severe AR (P＜0.05). 
Conclusion IgE, IL-1β, TGF-β1 and VCAM-1 are highly expressed in the serum of AR patients. IgE, IL-1β, TGF-β1, VCAM-1 and pollen allergen are closely related to the severity of the disease. 

Key words: rhinitis, allergic, seasonal, immunoglobulin E, interleukin-1β